Watching
by Hobbitpal
Summary: He has been watching her for a while, and she knows, but will he admit it to her?First HP story


He had been watching her all day from his corner in the library. He was supposed to be working, but it was the Christmas holidays after all, and even if it was his N.E.W.T year, he didn't really care, he found watching her a much better pass time. Not once had she looked up at him, not once had she even realized that he was watching her intently. He had been doing this for a few days now, a few weeks, hell most likely a few months, and never once had she noticed. This morning, he had gotten up early and lied to his remaining dorm mates that he was going for a swim in the Prefect's bathroom, instead he had come straight up to the library, waiting for her to turn up. She didn't fail him. The exact time every day, with out fail. He glanced at his watch, it was nearly lunchtime and he was starting to get hungry, he had missed lunch simply so he could watch her.

He heard footsteps behind him and sharply looked down at his book, pretending to read, but it was only a pair of giggling students hurrying past. As it was the holidays, there weren't many students at Hogwarts, meaning that he wouldn't be distracted from her. Cho had been a distraction once, but things between them had broken apart when it became clear that she liked Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the boy who was supposed to be a liar. He knew Harry wasn't, he had seen Voldermort as well, but he knew better than to shout about it to everyone he could. But when he watched her, all of this was forgotten, and it was like everything in the world was so perfect.

He stomach growled, causing him to pull a face and rest his head on the table. He didn't realise just HOW hungry he was.

"You know, you can go and have lunch, you don't need to watch me all the time." He looked up, startled.

Hermione Granger kept her eyes on her book, smiling slightly to herself as he glanced at her. She knew he was watching her. She knew that he had been watching her for over 3 months. She had also had a suspicion as to why he was watching her. Harry had told her all about Cedric and Cho breaking up and how Cho had told him that she thought Cedric liked his bushy haired friend, her words, Hermione thought sourly, scowling as she thought of the girl. Hermione had no real reason to hate her, but there was something about her personality that she just didn't like.

"How do you know that I've been watching you? You've been reading all this time." This time, Hermione looked up and meet his eyes. He had stunning grey-blue eyes that held her gaze very steadily and solidly.

"I don't have to look up from my studies to know that you were watching me. Why were you watching me?" He couldn't make out whether she was cross or not, there was a strange matter of fact tone to her voice that made it hard to gauge.

"I'm sorry if it offends you, but I was just taking in your beauty and your attention to the page in front of you," he quickly said, looking down at his book, hoping that she wouldn't see the colour rising in his cheeks. He had never been this embarrassed when talking to a girl, not even Cho, though with Cho it had been slightly different, she had taken the reins of the relationship and lead him. He hadn't minded, but she didn't really like 'giving up the driver's seat'. What ever that meant, he wished he had taken Muggle Studies now. But calling the most brilliant witch in history beautiful that was something you didn't really do on a regular basis and he didn't know why he was embarrassed, because he meant it. He did find her beautiful.

Hermione stared at him, lost for words. Cedric Diggory, Tri-wizard champion and one of the most handsome boys in Hogwarts thought that she- bookworm Hermione Granger- was beautiful.

He had to be joking, there was no way he was being serious, no one found her attractive, not even Ron, and well, their relationship was complicated to say the least. Now her cheeks were growing red, and she looked down at her page, embarrassed as well.

"You're simply saying that," she heard herself say in that matter of fact voice that made people hate her. It made her hate herself.

Cedric just smiled, looked back up at her, reaching across the table to take her hand in his, gently stroking her skin with his thumb.

"No I'm not. I think you are beautiful, possibly the most beautiful witch I have ever seen in my life," he paused, looking into her eyes to gauge her reaction, and was surprised to see her smiling at him, her fingers interlocking around his.

"You could have just talked to me, instead of constantly watching me for 2 months." He laughed slightly as she smiled.

"Yeah, I could have done, but you are an intimidating person Hermione, and I was scared you'd hex me for disturbing your studying, besides, I like watching you, and I'm good at it." She laughed, shacking her head.

"What ever, I know you've been watching me for a while, so you weren't that good, or would have seen me look back." Cedric chuckled; she really did have an answer for everything.

"Can I be forgiven Miss Granger?" She pretended to think for a few minute, pulling faces, humming and ahhhing over it, causing him to laugh again and tug on her hand so she looked at him.

"I guess so," she said with a dramatic sigh. He grinned.

"Excellent, now, would you like to accompany me to Christmas dinner tomorrow?" She grinned.

"I would like that very much Mr. Diggory," her cheeks started to blush again and she wondered if the library was suddenly getting hot, because she was. Cedric smiled at her. He didn't know why he had been so scared and embarrassed, she was sweet, charming, intelligent and beautiful, and she had said yes to him, yes! He was going to the Christmas dinner with Hermione Granger as his date, he couldn't think of anything better.

"Come on watch dog, your stomach sounds like an air raid warning." He looked down at her, startled out of his thoughts. He followed her out of the library, smiling and laughing with her, not caring who saw them. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the corridor, watching her, thinking about what she had said.

"What's an air raid?" he asked and all she could do was smile as he ran to keep up with her.


End file.
